Fire-escape



(No Model.)

H. HOFFMANN. FIRE ESCAPE No. 565,458. Patented Aug. 11, 1896.

W12 Zneu'er.

UNITED Y STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY HOFFMANN, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 565,458, dated August11, 1896.

Application filed April 9, 1896. Serial No. 586 ,829.. (No model.)

To (tZZ whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, HENRY HOFFMANN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and vState ofMinnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inFireEscapes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has for its object to provide an improved fire-escape.

To this end my invention comprises the novel devices and combinations ofdevices hereinafter described, and defined in the claims.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the preferred form of my invention,which will now be described in detail.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 indicates my improved fire-escape inside elevation, the clamping-bars of the same being shown as releasedfrom their bite on the cable, so that the carriage is free to move. Fig.2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, except that the clamping-bars are shownas clamped onto the cable, so that the carriage will be held stationary.Fig. 3 is a view in perspective showing the clamping-bars opened up andadapted for application to or removal from the cable; and Fig. 4 is aplan view of the carriage shown in the above figures, some parts beingbroken away and others removed.

a indicates a flexible cable or strand, which is suspended by its upperend from the buildin g or other support from which it is desired todescend. This cable will preferably be in the form of a wire rope, butof course might be any other kind of rope or even a single wire strand.

Z) 1) indicate a pair of clamping-bars, which are bent on correspondingwave-lines, and are provided with cooperating groove clampingsurfaces,respectively, b and 12 which run longitudinally of said clamping-bars,and between which the cable a Works. At their lower ends theseclamping-bars b b are connected together by means of a pair ofinterlocked links 19 formed, one on each of said clamping-bars,v on thesame side of the longitudinal center of said bars. This link engagementb will permit both angular and lateral pivotal movements of said bars I)and b with respect to each other, and also a limited longitudinalsliding motion of the same with respect to each other. The bar I) isprovided with a laterally-projecting finger b at its lower end, which isadapted to be engaged with a cooperating hook portion 1) on the lowerend of the bar b when said bars are closed on the cable a. Theclamping-bar b has pivoted thereto, at two different points, indicatedat 6 parallel pairs of levers Z2 The rearwardly-projecting ends of theseparallel levers b are recessed, as shown at b", and are provided withpivoted lock-dogs 1) subject to the action of springs I) at their innerends. The clamping-bar I) is provided with laterally-projecting pins I),located at points thereon, which adapt the pins one for cooperation witheach of the pairs of lookdogs I2 carried by said levers Z2 After thecable has been placed between the link connection 6 and the pin-and-hookconnection b I), said hook b will be e11- gaged with said hook I), andthe clampinggrooves b b of the clamping-bars b I), respectively, may beclosed onto the cable by forcing the clamping-bar 12 into the positionshown in Fig. 1. In thus forcing the bar 1) from the position shown inFig. 3 into the po sition shown in Fig. 1 the pins Z2 carried thereby,will engage the inner endsof the cooperating lock-dogs 6 and will forcethe same outward to permit said pins to pass the same. When the pins I)reach the position shown in Fig. 4, the lock-dogs 19 will be thrown infront of said pins by the action of the springs 1;, thereby locking saidpins 1) into the recesses of the levers Z2 I 0 indicates a pair ofslipper-like supports connected by a pair of transverse rods 0. Asshown, the slipper-like supports 0 are carried by a pair of crossedlevers 0 0 Of these levers the lever c is formed by a pair of parallelbars, which pivotally connect the forward member of the transverseshafts c with the rear end of the lower member of the levers b while thelever c pivotally connects the rear member of the transverse shaft 0'with the forward ends of both of the levers 19 In the use of my improveddevice as a fireescape the cable a will, as already indicated,

be secured to the building and suspended in such position that it may beeasily reached from a window or other opening or openings in thebuilding. Usually one of my improved devices would be hung on the ropeready for use. A number of extra carriages or fire-escapes may be hungon the adjacent wall, or in any other place, where they are accessiblein case of fire. These carriages may be quickly applied to the cable byopening the clampingbars, as shown in Fig. 3, and then clamping the sameonto the cable, as shown in Fig. 1, by an operation which has beendescribed above. The person desiring to descend may then step into theslippers c and may hold himself in position by taking hold of the cable.

The rider standing in the slippers 0 may control the downward movementof the carriage as follows: By throwing his weight onto his toes theparallel levers b will, through the connections 0 0 be so moved as tocause the clamping-bars b b to be loosened on the cable, as shown inFig. 1. This will, of course, permit said clamping-bars to slip over theca ble and the carriage, together with the person carried thereby, todescend. By throwing the weight of the rider onto the heel portions ofthe slippers c the reverse movements of the levers b and connections 0 0will be given, and the clamping-bars b i) will be clamped onto thecable, as shown in Fig. 2.

From the above it must be obvious that the rider may, by throwing moreor less of his weight onto the toe or heel portions of the slippers,vary the fractional bite or clamping action of the clamping-bars on thecable, so as to vary the speed at which the device will descend at willor to bring the car to a stop at any point on the cable. After theperson has descended to the ground the carriage may be readily removedfrom the cable by pressing the outer ends of the pairs of lock-dogs btogether, so as to release the pins Z1 and permit the clamping-bar b tobe swung outward into the position shown in Fig. 3. In virtue of thefact that the rocking support on which the rider stands is made in theform of a pair of slippers, the rider is given better control over theclamping action of the clamping-bars b I). This follows from the factthat when he throws his weight onto his heels he may also positivelylift on the toe ends of the slippers by lifting upward with his toes.

It will be understood, of course, that the wave-like form of theclamping-bars is very important, as it causes the cable to take awinding course in passing between the frictional surfaces of the same,thereby increasing the slipping friction between said frictionalsurfaces and said cable. It should also be understood that while Iprefer to provide a number of my improved fire-escapes for each cable,yet that a single device might be used over and over, so as to carrymany persons from a burning building. This, of

course, might be done by leaving the device clamped to the lower end ofthe rope after one person has descended, then pulling the device up bymeans of the suspended rope, and then using the device over again, inthe manner already set forth.

My invention, while especially designed as a fire-escape, may be usedfor many other purposes where it is desired to lower persons from anelevation. It will also be understood that various alterations may bemade without departing from the spirit of my invention.

\Vhat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates, is as follows:

1. In a fire-escape or similar device, the combination with a flexiblecable or strand suspended from its upper end, of a carriage movable onsaid cable, comprising a pair of clamping-bars bent on wave-lin es andhaving grooved clamping-surfaces between which the cable works, arocking support in the form of a pair of slippers, on which a person maystand, and lever connections between said clamping-bars and saidslippers, whereby the bite of said clamping-bars on said cable may bevaried by the rocking movement of said slippers, substantially asdescribed.

2. The combination with a flexible cable or strand suspended from itsupper end, of a pair of clamping-bars connected by a hingejoint thatpermits said bars to be moved angularly with respect to each other andto be opened sidewise for application to said cable, a pair of rockingslippers on which a person may stand, and lever connections between saidclamping-bars and said slippers, whereby the bite of said clamping-barson said cable may be varied, by the rocking movement of said slippers,substantially as described.

The combination with a flexible cable or strand suspended from its upperend, of the pair of grooved clamping-bars b b bent on a wave-line, thepair of slippers 0 connected by the pair of rods 0, the pair of parallellevers b pivotally connectin g the clam pin g-bars I) 7), and thecrossed lever connections 0 0 connccting the cross-rods c with saidlevers I), substantially as described.

4. In a fire-escape, the combination with the clamping-bars Z) I)connected at their lower ends by means of the links I) finger U and hookI)", one or more pins Z7 carried by said bar I), one or more pairs oflevers b pivoted to said bar I) and provided at their rear ends withrecesses I) and spring-held lock-dogs Z2 the pair of slippers 0connected by rods 0, and the crossed connections 0 connecting said rods0 with the opposite ends of said lever If, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY I-IOFFMANN. 'itnesscs:

Gnonen E. LA CLAIR, O. L. BILLINGS.

